Background
His father William Mossman (1793–1851) was also a sculptor, and a pupil of Sir Francis Chantrey. He was trained both by his father and under Carlo Marochetti in London.
His father William Mossman (1793–1851) was also a sculptor, and a pupil of Sir Francis Chantrey. He was trained both by his father and under Carlo Marochetti in London.
The family was originally Scottish, being related to James Mossman - a prominent jeweller and supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots who was beheaded after the Long Siege of Edinburgh Castle in 1572. Mossman sculpted the now iconic William Shakespeare and Robert Burns statues currently residing in the Citizens Theatre foyer, Glasgow as well as four muses, also in the foyer. His work can also be seen in the statues that adorn the Atheneum off Royal Exchange Square.
He apprenticed James Pittendrigh Macgillivray and they worked together for several projects.
John Mossman"s is the distinctive hand in Glasgow"s public statues of the latter half of the 19th century, and a number of works for the Glasgow Necropolis. He exhibited in the Royal Academy from 1868-1879.
